This invention relates to a multi-disc aircraft brake system and more particularly to a new and improved protective heat shield installation for an aircraft multi-disc friction braking system.
During the braking of an aircraft, the alternately splined stator and rotor discs of each of the multi-disc brakes are brought into sliding contact with another, generating considerable heat energy that must be dissipated to eliminate the highly deteriorative effects on the wheel and tire structure which, in certain instances such as an aborted or rejected take-off, can result in sufficiently high temperature to result in tire ruptures or fires.
The heat energy generated within the braking elements of the stators and rotors (hereinafter also referred to as the heat sink), of each multi-disc brake is dissipated via conduction, radiation and convection to the adjacent braking components, such as the wheel assembly, bearings, pistons and other adjacent structures as well as the associated tire. It is important to limit the heat transfer into the adjacent structures and tire as much as possible to protect these structures from excessive temperatures while dissipating the heat energy from the heat sink to the atmosphere as quickly as possible. In certain braking systems, the heat sink is of greater axial dimension than the wheel rim member into which the heat sink extends. In such a braking system, it is important to protect the tire from excessive radiant heat and the heat sink from contaminants such as water, especially water containing de-icing chemicals, and other debris that may be kicked up from the runway. One manner of protecting these is to provide a heat shield between the heat generating elements of the (stators and rotors) heat sink and the wheel assembly, with its adjacent components and bearings.